History
The founding of Petra Christian University cannot be separated from the role of Petra Christian Education and Teaching Association (PPPK Petra). The latter was a Christian association founded in 1951 aiming at providing education from kindergarten to high school level. The longing to give a wider chance for people to get higher education encouraged the officials of this association to set up a university. To realize that ideal, an Adhoc committee was set up, namely Preparatory Committee for Planning the University Founding, which was given the task to prepare anything related to the founding of a Christian university.
On September 22, 1961, right on the tenth anniversary of PPPK, it was officially announced that Petra Christian University was founded with the Faculty of Letters as the first faculty. One year later, in 1962, the Faculty of Civil Engineering was established. Observing the necessities required for a better management for the university to develop, the Boards of PPPK Petra set up a committee to prepare for a special Foundation regarding the university affairs. Thus, in 1964, it was agreed that Petra Christian University Foundation (YPTK Petra) to be set up and later legalized in 1965, which consisted of the representatives of PPPK Petra, Christian leaders and supported by 6 Protestant churches in Surabaya.
As a newly-founded university, PCU in its early development moved several times and occupied some buildings, started on Jl. Embong Wungu and Jl. WR. Supratman in 1961, later on Jl. Indrapura, Embong Kemiri, Jl. Panglima Sudirman 73, Jl. Kalianyar, until finally in 1973, all courses were centralized on Jl. Siwalankerto up to this day. All the achievements secured by PCU cannot be separated from the helps and supports from many groups of people, besides from the big family of PPPK Petra. Some institutions from within the country and abroad also helped develop its facilities, management, and teaching staff. Some of the institutions were United Presbyterian Church, Commission for the Advancement of Christian Higher Education in Asia, World Council of Churches, United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia (UBCHEA), Interkelijke Coordinatie Commissie Ontwikkelings projekten (ICCO), Evangelishe Zentralstelle fur Entcicklungshilfee (EZE) West Germany, Hilfswerk der Evangelischen Kirchen der Schweiz – Switzerland, Association of Christian Higher Education in Asia (ACUCA), Overseas Missionary Fellowship, Dienste in Ubersee – West Germany, Education and Culture Department.
For more than 46 years PCU has played its role in developing higher education in Indonesia. PCU has graduated 20,000 alumni spread over the whole country. A good alumni network which has a positive image in the society’s perspective is an achievement that needs to be further improved. Today, more than 75% of PCU alumni are entrepreneurs in both industry and services.
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